Lime & Basil Macaroons

With a chocolate hazelnut variation.

These macaroons come from Ottolenghi, one of my all time favourite cookbooks – see previous post.

One of the most important things about Passover for me is the sense of nostalgia and tradition that comes with the bringing out of the kosher for Passover crockery, the accoutrements for the seder, and the seder itself.  They just aren’t the same without our silly jokes, actions, arguing over page numbers and awful singing (all to different tunes, different words, different speeds).  Tradition can of course be a bad thing; sometimes its easier for things to stay the same even though they aren’t particularly good, then to try something new.  In this respect I am of course referring to traditional Passover cookies.  This year I made the radical decision to do away with the traditional altogether, no coconut pyramids, and no standard macaroons. These had been an integral part of our family’s Passover (and im sure everyone elses) since records began.  They just aren’t that nice.  When I found the recipes for Florentines and French-style macaroons in Ottolenghi I knew what had to be done.  There was a mini Passover cookies revolution, and Evelyn Rose went back on the shelf (not that anyone objected, change isn’t as scary as most people think).  Those macaroons, 2 delicate meringue-like disks, sandwiched together with just the perfect amount of filling, quite possibly the best things ever.

This is how my love of real macaroons began (or should I say, macarons).  About a year and half ago when I was unemployed and things were pretty bleak I would cheer myself up with trips to the Royal Academy.  Anish Kapoor was on and I would pretend that I was the kind of elegant Londoner who went to art galleries in the middle of the day: I would wear pearls, matching clothes and everything. Window shopping in Burlington arcade added to the fantasy until one day I forgot that I was completely skint and I went into Ladurée and bought some macaroons. And they are the best in the world for good reason.

In Ottolenghi’s introduction to macaroons, they refer to Ladurée as being the ultimate in macaroon gastronomy, and these versions are seen as a more home-made version.  I read somewhere that Laduree let the macaroons sit for 2 days after being made before they will sell them, and mine too tasted much better with every day after they were made.  It is however, pretty hard to resist eating them all in a few sittings, or putting them in pretty little boxes to give as smug gifts to friends and grandparents.

A word on piping: Most of the time when I see the word ‘pipe’ in relation to cooking I tend to ignore it completely, or replace it with ‘blob haphazardly with a spoon’ in this case however, I really think it is necessary.  What is so wonderful about these macaroons is how perfect they look, and how amazing they taste, it would be a shame to diminish them by making the shapes all wonky.  And from a practical point, they need to fit together in neat little sandwiches, so some uniformity in their size and shape is a good thing.  Once you get the hang of it, piping the mixture is actually much easier and quicker than spooning it.  My medium of choice is a ziplock bag with a little corner snipped off (obviously, don’t cut anything until the mixture is in the bag).  When filling the bag fold the top half down completely so that the outside stays clean and no drips of mixture are wasted.

Makes about 20 time: about 1hr ¼ (including resting and baking) difficulty 3.5/5 taste 5/5

Ingredients:

2 egg whites (60g)

110g icing sugar

60g ground almonds

40g caster sugar

zest of 1 lime

5 large basil leaves, finely chopped

For the buttercream filling (enough for about 2 batches):

100g unsalted butter or margarine, at room temperature

45g icing sugar

zest of 1 lime, and juice

5 large basil leaves, finely chopped

1.   Sift the icing sugar and almonds into a clean, dry bowl.

2.   Whisk the egg whites and caster sugar until they have formed a thick, aerated meringue, firm but not too dry.  If you have one, whisk them in a stainless steel bowl, for some magical reason it is much easier than in a regular bowl.  The whisking will take about 15 minutes using a hand-held electric whisk.

3.   Take a third of the meringue and fold it gently into the almond/sugar mix.  Once incorporated, add another third and continue until all of the meringue has been added and the mix is smooth and glossy.  At this stage fold in the lime zest and basil.

4.   Take a sheet of baking parchment (or silicone paper – I highly recommend, see previous note) and glue it to a baking sheet with a tiny amount of the macaroon mix.  Pipe the macaroon mix onto the lined tray using a piping bag into uniform shallow disks, about the size of a £2 coin.  To assist you, you could draw little circles on the paper first.

5.   Once all the macaroons are piped hold the tray firmly and tap the underside hard.  This should help to spread out and smooth out the biscuits.  Use a wet finger to poke down any pointy bits. Leave the macaroons out uncovered for at least 25 minutes before baking (use this time to preheat the oven, to 170 degrees - 160 w/fan).

6.   To bake, place the macaroons in the oven and leave for 12 minutes, although they may take a little longer, depending on your oven (mine took about 14).  The macaroons are ready when they come freely off the paper when lifted gently with a palette knife (if you are using the silicone paper, you can just use a finger).  Whatever you do don’t over bake them, they should be light and delicate.  Leave them aside to cool down completely before you fill them.

7.   To make the buttercream filling, beat the butter and icing sugar together until pale and light.  Add the lime juice, zest and basil and mix until incorporated.  Cover the buttercream with cling film and leave in a cool place (not the fridge).

8.   To assemble the macaroons, use a small spoon or piping bag to place a pea-sized amount of filling on the flat size of half the biscuits.  Sandwich together with another half, pressing gently.  Try to make sure you match the macaroons in size and shape.  Leave them to set, either at room temperature or in the fridge.  Do not serve them straight from the fridge, allow them to come back to room temperature.

Chocolate and Hazelnut variation

2 egg whites

110g icing sugar

50g ground hazelnuts (or almonds)

10g cocoa, as good quality as you can find (sift this in with the ground nuts and icing sugar)

40g caster sugar

for the chocolate ganache (or just use nutella)

65g dark chocolate

15g unsalted butter or margarine

50ml double cream

2 tsp dark rum

I wish I had taken better photos...

Almond & Orange Florentines

Whats good about this post is that I am actually going back to my original concept (see my first post) of cooking recipes from a cookbook I own! I think of all the posts I have done, only about 2 actually do so.  This recipe comes from the wonderful Ottolenghi, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi (an Israeli and Palestinian who run the very successful Ottolenghi and Nopi delis/restaurants).  I am sure that at this point someone very intelligent could say something also very intelligent and witty about the middle Eastern peace process being solved through food.  Suggestions on a postcard, or comment, best one wins points.  International relations aside, it is a fantastic book, with inspiring recipes, prose and photographs.  The Middle Eastern style is both comfortingly familiar and exotic.  It is also very easy to follow and so far, foolproof.

As far as I am aware, the best Florentines in the world are made by my grandmother.  Parkways are pretty good too.  I am not trying to do any kind of Florentine coup d’état with these, as you will see from the recipe, they are different (and suitable for Passover, which was a nice surprise).  Traditional Florentines are condensed milk/caramel-y based and filled with lovely treats like pink glace cherries, crunchy around the edges, piled and squidgy in the centre.  These ones are much simpler, they are not pretending to be the real deal, nor a cheating version.  They are delicious though, and on the ease vs. taste scale, they score incredibly high.  They look beautiful, taste complex and indulgent, and are incredibly easy and quick to make.

In my family Passover is pretty much the only time that we make cookies, and so we have a few sheets of silicone paper, cut to fit oven trays.  Essentially it is like the best greaseproof paper ever, and it is washable.  The Florentines and macaroons (recipe to follow soon) came off the paper with the slightest nudge, fantastic!  If you do not have this use the vegetable oil method as described in the recipe below.

Makes about 20 time: 25 mins difficulty 2/5

Ingredients

260g Flaked almonds

2 egg whites

Zest of 1 orange (or more, if you want)

100g icing sugar

About 75g dark chocolate (melt the chocolate very carefully.  whatever you do, do not allow the chocolate to seize at all, you want a perfectly glossy finish).

Preheat the oven to 150c.  Line a heavy baking tray with baking parchment and brush lightly with vegetable oil.  Next to you have a small bowl of water.

Put the egg whites, icing sugar, flaked almonds and orange zest in a bowl and gently mix together.  Dip your hand in the bowl of water and pick up portions of the mix to make little mounds on the lined tray, well spaced apart.  Dip a fork in the water (or use a finger) and flatten each biscuit very thinly.  Try to make them as thin as possible without creating too many gaps between the almond flakes.  They should be about 8cm in diameter. 

Place the tray in the oven and bake for about 12 minutes, until the Florentines are golden brown.  Check underneath one to make sure they are cooked through.  Allow to cool, and then remove gently using a palette knife if you need to.

The recipe suggests brushing them with some melted dark chocolate as an optional extra, I say that it’s a must.

Roasted sea bream with ginger and lime

I know that this isn’t particularly creative, but I really want to share it with you anyway.  Whole grilled fish is just about my favourite kind of meal.  For me it tastes like summer holidays and also gives a great sense of occasion.  Its not that it is difficult to make, in fact it is super easy, but it is still a treat.  By the way, this blog post is completely full of links – sorry if that gets annoying.  

You can buy sea bream in all good fishmongers, and some good fish counters at supermarkets if you cannot get to a fishmonger.  It is a perfect size for a really good meal (1 each) and tastes really delicious.  As with all fish, they are much tastier when cooked whole.  This is what cookipedia has to say about it: Breams have a sweet and distinctive taste and are best served with contrasting flavours that are not too overpowering. This makes them best suited to grilling or baking whole, but they can also be cooked in fillet form and fried (either shallow or deep), poached.  When preparing bream, consider the flavours of capers, citrus, garlic, parsley and ginger, which marry well with these species.  Chefs preparing Asian-style cuisine can improve the slightly coarser taste of estuarine bream with strong soy sauce and Chinese black rice vinegar.

One of the problems that many people have with eating fish cooked like this is the reality of it all. When no-longer hidden in crumbs, sauce or mayonnaise you are acutely aware that you are eating something that was once living, now gazing up at you with a vacant expression.  Please please don’t let this put you off.  I’m not here to preach ethics or values, but I will tell you what works for me. I decided many years ago that vegetarianism wasn’t for me.  Moderation, buying local, from independent suppliers (where possible), and sustainable seems to be enough to assuage any guilt I may feel, and I try and remind myself on a regular basis where meat and fish comes from.  I recently met someone who has held down a lamb that was being slaughtered.  I would like to think that it something I would be able to see, but in truth I really don’t know, as with so many things I suppose you don’t know how you will react to a situation until you are in it. 

Buying fish

I really recommend that you go and investigate your local fishmongers (support your local independent shops!!).  The fish in the supermarket always looks so dreary and depressing, a bit flabby and with that horrible sheen to it that just tells you that it isn’t fresh.  The fish at the fishmongers is better quality, they have a better variety and on top of it all you get the brilliant banter that always seems to go alongside buying from someone who really knows their stuff.  They will clean the fish for you, tell you how to cook it and even give you some recipes (whether you want them or not sometimes).  And if you have a local fishmonger, the more that you go and buy fish from them, the more that you build a relationship, creating a little touch of ‘village’ in the big, anonymous city.  Having recently moved into a new part of London (from 1 side of Brent to another, oh haven’t I travelled far) I really wanted to feel like the neighbourhood was my neighbourhood, and supporting independent retailers is the way to do it). A thing about fishmongers which I find really interesting and funny, is the enthusiasm they have for what they do. They will thrust different fish at you for you to touch, and then there is this slightly awkward moment when you realise that you do not know how to react to someone enthusiastically waving fish at you, responding possibly with a cautious prod of firm flesh, a mumbled ‘lovely’ or some such.  It is surprising how firm fish actually is, don’t worry it will be perfectly tender when cooked though.  In terms of smell, fresh fish should smell of the sea, if it smells fishy, put it back.  

This is not a dish for making earlier and keeping warm – you do not want to cook the fish for any longer than it needs, so make sure that everything else you are planning on making for the meal is ready when the fish is done.

Time: 40 mins, with more time to marinade if you have it. Difficulty: 2/5 Taste: 5/5

1 sea bream per person, cleaned by your local fishmonger

For the marinade:*

Finely chopped fresh ginger, making up about 2 tsp

Zest of 1 lime

Approx. 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce

½ tbsp cooking oil

For the dressing (an accompaniment for the fish once its cooked, and to add continuity with the rest of the meal – you will see what I mean)

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

Sake

Juice of 1 lime

Bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 180-200.  Combine the ingredients for the marinade. Give the fish a rinse under the tap and check that the middle section has been properly cleaned through – you may have to full out a few little veiny things.  Using a sharp knife, make 3 slashes on both sides of the fish, being careful not to cut through the bone.  Put a spoonful of the marinade on both sides in the fish, using your hands to get some if the bits inside the slashes in the fish.  When done, also put a spoonful of the marinade in the cavity of the fish.  If you have time, leave the fish to soak up the flavours for an hour or so – don’t worry if you have not got enough time for that.

Put the fish on an oven tray, under enough foil to move or less cover them, and stop the juices from running all over the tray.  Wrap the foil over the fish so that it is loosely covered and bake for about 15 minutes.  Then uncover the fish, turn it over and bake it uncovered for another 10-15 minutes.

While the fish is cooking, add the dressing ingredients to the same dish you made the marinade in (hopefully there will be a tiny bit left) so create a light sauce to serve with the fish.  I served the fish with warm sushi-seasoned sticky rice, and the dressing created a lovely bridge between the fish and the rice.  Coriander and limejuice loses its edge when cooked and keeping it fresh keeps the whole dish light and ‘zingy’. 

Whatever you do, (and sorry to be getting a bit bossy re: grilled fish etiquette) please don’t cut the head off the fish before serving – its just not right.

*Advice for marinades for fish – essentially, less is more.  Whatever you do, do not use any lemon/lime juice.  Acid cooks the fish, and so it works if you are planning on serving the fish without further cooking in the style of a ceviche (also yum, see here) but not if you are planning on grilling it.  Get your fruity kick with the zest, and serve with wedges to squeeze over the top, or in a simple vinaigrette.  The following sauces all go very well with grilled fish:  Salsa verde, sauce vierge, caper vinaigrette.

Multicoloured spicy rice

This dish was not something that made with the intention of blogging.  It was more of a serendipitous creation, born from disorganisation and a certain degree of laziness (welcome to my world) that turned out really really good.  Essentially, after staring into the fridge for about 5 minutes wondering what to have for dinner, I made a dish using pretty much everything I could find. Discussions over what to name this dish led to the following brilliant quote: “oh rainbow rice isn’t a stupid name, but then again, my High School mascot was a unicorn.” And so, ‘rainbow unicorn rice’ was born.

I love cooking with red cabbage because of the way it turns everything purple without taking over the whole dish – like beetroot can do.  What is also brilliant – and I strongly recommend, is cooking rice with bits in, similar to this, but putting half a can of coconut milk in to boil with it – the addition of the red cabbage turns the whole thing a wonderful lilac colour, and the gloopiness of the coconut milk really does make it a bit like eating rice cooked in some sort of emulsion paint – tastes much better though – add some nam pla (thai fish sauce) for extra, coconut balancing, oomph.

Red rice is brilliant, with a complex, nutty flavour and chewy texture.  Its a bit like brown rice, but doesn’t take as long to cook.  The brand I have is Merchant Gourmet – but don’t let that put you off, it was not expensive and just in the regular rice/couscous section in Sainsburys.  I first had red rice in a delicious salad I bought from M & S, where it was mixed with cooked salmon and edamame beans.  It is also much more filling than white rice.  Edamame beans would have been a fantastic addition to this dish to, but for the past year I have had real trouble finding them (those birdseye packets that used to be next to the peas in supermarkets)– does anyone know what happened to them/ where I can find them?  I added some raw vegetable crunch in the form of celery and spring onion.  These kept it tasting very fresh and juicy.  Some carrots would have been a nice addition too.

This was enough to make about 5 portions – and would stretch further if having it as an accompaniment to something else.  I ate left over rice for lunch for a few days, and it reheated really well, with the rice not going dry and the celery keeping its crunch.  Some of its purple brilliance did diminish a little bit, but that would be my only criticism.

Ingredients

·     1 cup red rice

·     1 cup white rice

Veggies and things

·     Some red cabbage, chopped quite small between ¼ and 1/8 of a whole one.

·     2 peppers of different colours.  I used red and green, cut up into chunks – not too small so that they disintegrate.

·     Medium onion, chopped

·     Big handful of beansprouts

·     Small handful of salted peanuts, roughly chopped

·     Block of tofu, cut into cubes  (alternatively, quorn chicken pieces, white fish or chicken)

·     2 sticks celery, sliced quite thinly

·     2 spring onions, chopped

Sauces and flavourings

·     Teriyaki sauce (or equivalent – a recent discovery of mine is kecap manis, a sweet thick Indonesian soy sauce which comes in a handy squeezy bottle)

·     Soy sauce

·     Sake

·     Lemon/lime juice

·     West Indian style chilli sauce (made with habanero/ scotch bonnect chillis, which have a very fruity flavour, as well as being really, really hot).  If you do not have this, use 1 thinly sliced red chilli (remove most of the seeds) or some chilli powder, and a glug of orange juice.  For sweetness, you could add some sweet chilli sauce too (instead).

·     Ginger – a slice of a big root, about 0.5cm thick, finely chopped

·     Big handful of fresh coriander, chopped

For the tofu: Preheat the grill.  Arrange the tofu in 1 layer on a tray.  Pour some teriyaki sauce over the tofu and grill until its browned and a little bit crispy.  It will take between 5 and 10 minutes but keep an eye on it, turning the cubes over halfway.

For the rest: Put the red rice in a large saucepan, with about 3 cups of water  bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer (lid on).  After about 15-20 minutes, add the cabbage, onion, peppers , white rice and a glug of sake.  You may need to add another cup of water at this point.  Simmer for another 10 or so minutes, add the beansprouts to the top and leave to steam for a minute or two.  Meanwhile, put the celery and spring onions in a large bowl with the chopped up ginger, 2 spoonfuls of soy sauce, another spoonful of sake and the juice of a lime/ ½ a lemon.  When the rice/veg mix is ready (hopefully there will be hardly any liquid left) add it to the big bowl and mix it all together with a dessertspoonful of chilli sauce and the chopped coriander and peanuts.  Serve with the tofu scattered artfully over the top.

Whore’s spaghetti

Puttanesca, the ultimate, big-personality punchy pasta sauce.  Named for prostitutes, what’s not to love?

According to Wikipedia, it is a typical southern Italian dish, invented sometime in the mid 20^th century, probably in the Bay of Naples region. I think that the reason why it is so, pardon the pun, saucy, is that the dish is made of store-cupboard ingredients, and extremely quick to assemble, and so very convenient for a lady of the night, or perhaps anyone who is too busy having a good time to go to Sainsburys.  I am not convinced that said ladies actually ate this.  While pasta is a slow releasing carbohydrate and great for stamina, the strong and garlicky sauce probably doesn’t leave your breath that sexy…but maybe some people are in to that, who am I to judge?? And it probably did protect them from horny Italian vampires.  Yeah I really did just say that, clearly I have been watching far too much True Blood.

Difficulty 2/5 time 15-25 mins taste 4/5  serves 2

1 can chopped tomatoes

4-5 anchovy fillets

1-2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

1 dried, crumbled Birdseye chilli or a pinch of dried chilli flakes (you can shake some of the seeds or of the chilli)

big handful black olives, chopped a bit

handful capers

spaghetti

olive oil

parsley

in a large frying pan with a lid, fry the garlic in olive oil.  When starting to colour, add the anchovies and chilli.  When the anchovies start to disintegrate, add the chopped tomatoes, olives, capers and parsley.  Simmer for at least 10 mins, the sauce will get richer the longer you give it.  Cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted water (as salty as the Mediterranean) until al-dente.  A good trick for getting the perfect pasta is to cook it for 1 minute less than it says on the packet, and then add it to the hot sauce for the remaining minute, with a spoonful of the cooking water. 

Etiquette dictates that if onions are added to the sauce it is American, and it should not served with cheese.  If you want a cheesey element, try serving this as I did, with a salad of fresh spinach, oranges, pumpkin seeds and fresh mozzarella, drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

La Dame aux Camelias 1896 - Alphonse Mucha

A hotpot of sausage and apples

Difficulty 3/5 time 1 hr Taste 5/5 feeds about 4

This goes back to the old themes of comfort food.  The only advice I can really give is to make sure you have a big pot, it is very difficult to get the sausages browned properly and the flour amalgamated without one.  This was where I slipped up a little bit.  It was still really really tasty, but it would have been even better if I had a bigger pot.  This recipe is taken from Tender vol. 2 – a cook’s guide to the fruit garden, which is one of my absolutely favourite books to read.  This is actually the first recipe that I have made from it.

·     250g dried flageolet or haricot beans (I used about 1 ¼ cans of cannellini beans)

·     Chicken thighs (skin off, bone in) I added these in for bulk and variation, and I’m sure that the bones further enriched the sauce. I’m sure that it would be delicious without them, I just didn’t have enough sausages for all the people I needed to feed!

·     3 onions

·     2 tbsp olive oil

·     3 large garlic cloves

·     2 small pinches fennel seeds

·     2 bay leaves

·     8 sausages (Nigel Slater specified nicely seasoned pork sausages, I used lamb ones.  It is up to you what kind you use, but obviously makes sure that it is not a conflicting flavour.  I think that the lamb added a lovely depth of flavour, working exceptionally well with the beans and apple (I wouldn’t recommend using chicken sausages, but that’s just because I don’t like them).Veggie sausages would also work well.

·     2 large dessert apples.  As I had increased the quantities slightly, I used 2 ½ red apples, and 1 bramley.  This was a nice combination as the dessert apples keep their shape and are lovely and sweet, while the cooker disintegrated completely, adding thickness to the sauce and a tart background note).

·     2 tbsp plain flour

·     1 glass Madeira or medium dry sherry (I used pear cider, as it was what I had.  Looking back, it totally did not need the extra sweetness).

·     1 litre stock (I used a mixture of onion and chicken soup mix, about 2 parts onion, 1 part chicken).

·     2 tbsp grain mustard (I only used 1, as I forgot to put in the second, it was still delicious and may have been a little too mustardy with the second).

(I will leave out the section about cooking the beans).  Peel the onions, cut in half, and then cut each half into 6 or so thick segments.  Warm the oil in a large casserole over a low/ medium heat.  Put onions in pan and leave to colour slightly but make sure they don’t stick or burn.

Whilst the onions are cooking, peel and slice the garlic, then add to the onions with the fennel and bay.  Push the mixture to one side of the pan (or if the pan is small, remove them).  Cut the sausages into short lengths, add them to the pan and brown on all sides.  If using chicken, brown the chicken as well.

Meanwhile, peel core and quarter the apples.  You can cut them smaller, but obviously the bigger the pieces, the more likely they are to stay together.  When the sausages are reasonably crispy (this was my main problem – see above), add into the pan the onions, apples and flour.  Cook for 5 mins or so, and then gradually pour in the Madeira/ sherry and stock, stirring continuously.  Add half the mustard, season and leave to simmer for 25 mins. 

Add the beans, check the seasoning and simmer gently for another 20-25 mins.  It is ready when the meat is cooked and most of the liquid has evaporated.  Add the rest of the mustard and cook for a minute or 2 longer.

Simultaneously, I made a vegan version using cauldron brand marinated tofu, which also worked very well, but tasted a little sweeter as it did not have the richness of the meat off-setting the apples.

A chicken pie to unify and lead the Jewish people

My first foray into the world of Evelyn Rose

I was going to write something quite negative about Evelyn’s style of writing, but apparently I could get sued for that kind of thing.  Needless to say, it was not an enjoyable experience for me.  Her books seem to be a bible for a whole generation, so maybe I shouldn’t s**t all over them.  I think ill stick to Claudia Roden...or Nigella.

ANYWAY, this is an excellent way of using up leftover cooked chicken.  One of my least favourite things is reheated cooked chicken, served the same way.  Of course you cant really beat an overstuffed chicken sandwich or chicken salad, but there is something so nostalgic and comforting about a pie.  During the aforementioned trip to Morocco, I phoned home to check in and my mum asked me what I wanted for dinner when I returned home, and this chicken pie is what I requested.  I am 25 and as this blog hopefully shows, pretty self-sufficient, but there is still this omnipresent sense of ‘eat bubala’ whenever I come home.  And I definitely make the most of it. 

When I was little and in the tiny tots service at our synagogue every Saturday, we used to sing ‘david melech yisroel chai chai chicken pie.’ I have no idea why we sung chicken pie instead of vekayam, it doesn’t even rhyme.  The song means ‘David king of Israel lives and exists’ somehow in our 2-4 year old minds, chicken pie was an inherent part of remembering this famous king of Israel, known not so much as a philosopher or scholar, but as a musician, lover and fighter; one can only assume that must have enjoyed his food too.  And according to legend he was a ginger.  If the famous King of Israel could unite the Jewish people, maybe there is more to this chicken pie??

This recipe is adapted from Evelyn Rose’s Complete International Jewish Cookbook.  This is not a book I own, but the kind I will need to buy for myself one day.  According to my mum she is like the Jewish Delia (boring but essential and foolproof).  Well I must be a fool.  Reading through the recipe I found it incredibly confusing.  It may just be my own snobbery regarding cookbooks from the 70s and 80s, but it is very hard to follow.  And of course, back in the day it might have been ok to fry with however many ounces of chicken fat, but its really not now.  Also newer cookbooks tend not to refer to the oil/butter/margarine as fat, maybe its just a nation in denial.  Sorry folks.

I have to admit that I didn’t actually cook this.  It was my intention to, but I have had such a bad cold I thought it probably wasn’t the best idea, I’m sure that our dinner guests were very grateful.  I did however observe very closely and was allowed to stir occasionally.

Time: prep 20 mins, cooking 20 mins, ease: 3/5 taste: 5/5 you will need a shallow pie dish, like the size of a large dinner plate.

Ingredients:

For the filling -

1 onion, finely diced

Mushrooms, chopped up – about a heaped handful

Handful chopped parsley (I cook a lot with fresh herbs, and try to avoid using dried ones at all costs. The best places to buy them are asda, or from your local greengrocer, you can buy big bunches very cheaply.  Parsley freezes very well, just make sure you wash it first).

Heaped tbsp plain flour

200ml stock or chicken gravy equivalent – you can always add more liquid later is it looks a bit too dry.  We used the solidified goo left over from roasting the chicken.  What’s good is that the fat rises to the top and hardens, and can be scraped off and thrown away.  Essentially its like fat-free essence of chicken, and can be frozen! As the chicken in question was cooked in a red, herby sauce, the finished sauce had a lovely reddish colour.

Cooked chicken, cut into bite sized pieces – approx. ½ a chicken.

For the pastry - (The recipe called for ready-made puff pastry, but the version my mum makes uses the ‘quick flaky pastry’ recipe instead.

82g firm margarine

160g plain flour

50mls boiling water

First make the pastry.  Cut the butter into small pieces and put into bowl.  Pour over boiling water and stir until the butter is melted and amalgamated – you may need to give it a blast in the microwave.  Add the flour, mix into a dough and chill, covered in clingfilm, for at least half an hour.  Yes it really is that simple.  When the dough is made and covered in the clingfilm, it will feel warm and soft, kind of like a hamster.  After it has been in the fridge it will harden up considerably.

Preheat the oven to 230 c.

Fry the onions in cooking oil/olive oil in a large frying pan, and when mostly done (10 mins or so) add the mushrooms.  When done add the flour, and stir until all the veggies are coated – don’t worry it will look quite dry.

Add the stock/gravy, bring to the boil, and then simmer for a few minutes until it thickens, stirring all the time.  Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper – Evelyn also adds in a bit of nutmeg, but this would depend on what kind of flavouring you had already added – some dried sage might be nice too.  Turn the heat off and allow to go cold, and empty into the pie dish.

Here is a fantastic tip for rolling pastry – instead of flouring the board and rolling pin (or empty wine 

bottle) put the dough between 2 pieces of clingfilm.  Incredibly easy, and stops the dough getting too floury. Roll out to cover the dish with a small amount of overhang.  Don’t worry about it looking perfect, it should be crinkly and rustic, allowing for little bits of the sauce to bubble up the sides and crisp up.  Score some lines into the pasty to allow for the steam to escape, and bake for 20 minutes.

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